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The Ecosystem, Explained

We’ve all been there. No matter how long you've worked in cybersecurity, you know the feeling — that knot in your stomach from another acronym you don't know or another company you've never heard of.

You don't need another oversimplified industry model. You need to navigate the nuances. This is my answer to the confusion and controversy about the business of cybersecurity.

Strategy of Security's ecosystem reveals the hidden architecture of the cybersecurity industry. It includes a meticulous curation of today's most elite cybersecurity companies, continuously updated to highlight the leaders of tomorrow.

If I've done my job, you just might encounter that delightful moment of insight when even the most advanced concepts suddenly fall into place.

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AI/ML Security

AI Governance

Overview: Establishing and overseeing guidelines and practices to ensure the ethical, transparent, and accountable development and implementation of AI.

LLM Security

Overview: Practices and measures to protect LLM models from being exploited for malicious purposes, and to ensure their safe, ethical, and responsible use.

ML Security

Overview: Protecting machine learning systems from attacks, manipulations, and vulnerabilities, ensuring the integrity, reliability, and confidentiality of ML models and their data


Application Security

Application Protection

API Security

Overview: Processes and tools for preventing and monitoring malicious attacks and misuse of APIs.

Bot Mitigation

Overview: Techniques and tools for assessing website bots and blocking malicious activity.

CI/CD Security

Overview: Integrating security practices and tools into the Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Deployment (CD) pipeline to protect software during the testing, build, and deployment processes.

Example(s): Cloudsmith, BluBracket

Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP)

Overview: Technology that integrates with an application to detect and prevent real-time attacks by analyzing behavior and context during execution.

Web Application Firewall (WAF)

Overview: Systems to protect web applications or APIs against exploits, bots, and attacks that compromise the security and availability of web applications.

Application Security Testing

Application Security Posture Management (ASPM)

Overview: The continuous process of assessing, improving, and monitoring the security state of software applications.

Application Security Orchestration and Correlation (ASOC)

Overview: Integration and automation of various application security tools and processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities.

Example(s): ArmorCode, Kondukto

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

Overview: A method of testing applications for security vulnerabilities by simulating external attacks on a running application.

Fuzz Testing

Overview: A testing technique that involves inputting random, malformed, or unexpected data into an application to detect coding errors and security vulnerabilities.

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Security

Overview: Practices and tools used to ensure that the code and processes used to automate and manage IT infrastructure are secure and free from vulnerabilities.

Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST)

Overview: A testing approach that combines static and dynamic analysis to evaluate applications for vulnerabilities in real-time during testing and operation.

Example(s): Acunetix, Oxeye

Mobile Application Security Testing (MAST)

Overview: The process of assessing and identifying security vulnerabilities in mobile applications.

Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

Overview: A method of analyzing code for security vulnerabilities without executing the application.

Example(s): Bearer, Semgrep, Sonar

Software Supply Chain Security

License Compliance

Overview: Ensuring the use of software within an organization adheres to the terms and conditions outlined in its licensing agreements.

Dependency Scanning

Overview: The process of analyzing dependencies for known vulnerabilities and security issues to ensure the security and integrity of an application's third-party components.

Code Signing

Overview: The process of digitally signing software to verify the author's identity and ensure that the code has not been altered or corrupted since it was signed.

Software Composition Analysis (SCA)

Overview: Processes to identify use of open source software in a codebase to evaluate security, quality, licensing, and other software supply chain risks.

Software Bill of Materials (SBOM)

Overview: A comprehensive inventory of all components, libraries, and modules used in an application, detailing their versions, licenses, and dependencies.

Example(s): Anchore, Finite State, FOSSA


Blockchain and Web3

Overview: Tools for securing and managing risks on blockchain and Web3 platforms.


Capital Markets

Overview: Financial markets where equity and debt are traded, facilitating capital raises by companies, investments by individuals and institutions, and mergers and acquisitions by strategic buyers and institutional investors.

Angel and Seed Investors

Independent individual investors or a group of individual investors who invest capital in early stage cybersecurity companies.


Certifications and Training

Overview: Comprehensive cybersecurity awareness, education, and credentialing organizations covering one or more major cybersecurity domains.

Example(s): SANS Institute, OffSec, ISC2


Consumer Security and Privacy

Overview: Practices and countermeasures to protect personal data and ensure the digital safety of consumers against unauthorized access, misuse, and threats.

Example(s): Aura, Gen, Proton


Cyber Crime

Overview: Illegal activities conducted online, including offenses like hacking, identity theft, and online fraud.

Advanced Persistent Threats (APT)

Organized groups of threat actors who gain unauthorized access to networks for political or economic reasons.

Example(s): Cozy Bear, Double Dragon


Data Security

Data Protection

Database Security

Overview: Tools, controls, and processes to protect databases from compromise.

Data Security Posture Management (DSPM)

Overview: A comprehensive approach to continuously identify, assess, and manage the security of data across an organization's entire digital landscape.

e-Discovery

Overview: Identification, collection, and storage of electronic information for investigations and legal requests.

Example(s): Relativity, Logicube, Nuix

Insider Threat Detection

Overview: Identifying and mitigating risks posed by individuals within an organization who might misuse access to harm the organization or its data.

Example(s): Code42, Veriato

Public Key Infrastructure

Overview: Infrastructure to establish and manage public key encryption for user identities, device identities, and secure end-to-end communications.

Rights Management

Overview: Software to help companies protect digital content (videos, images, files, etc.) from unauthorized distribution and duplication.

Example(s): Vera, Seclore EDRM

Data Resilience

Backup and Recovery

Overview: Processes and tools for creating, storing, and restoring copies of data to protect against data loss.

Secure Storage

Overview: Processes, hardware, and facilities for maintaining data security and integrity.

Example(s): Commvault, Iron Mountain

Privacy

Data Discovery and Classification

Overview: The process of scanning data sources to find and classify structured and unstructured data, with a focus on sensitive and/or regulated data.

Data Deidentification and Pseudonymity

Overview: Tools to redact and deidentify data for use by researchers, data scientists, and other parties without compromising the privacy of people in the dataset.

Example(s): Blyss, Hazy, Sarus

Enterprise Communication

Overview: Messaging solutions to help employees and partners within an organization communicate securely.

Encryption and Tokenization

Overview: Processes and tools for transforming sensitive data into an encrypted or masked value.


Fraud and Transaction Security

Overview: Measures and technologies to protect financial transactions and sensitive data from fraudulent activities and unauthorized access.

Example(s): Alloy, Forter, Riskified, Sift


Governance, Risk, and Compliance

Compliance

Auditors and Assessors

Overview: Firms authorized to conduct independent reviews and certify compliance with regulations and standards.

Compliance Automation

Overview: Tools for automating compliance processes and continuous controls monitoring.

Regulations

Overview: Official rules to enforce laws created by governments. Implemented and maintained by authorized government agencies.

Third Party Assurance

Overview: An examination of a service provider's services, internal controls, and risks conducted by a third party on behalf of customers. Results are documented in a compliance report.

Example(s): SOC 2, ISO 27001

Governance

GRC

Overview: Systems to automate and integrate enterprise, operational, and IT risk management processes and data.

Metrics and Dashboards

Overview: Tools used to track and display key performance indicators to measure cybersecurity risk and effectiveness.

Policies and Procedures

Overview: Written documents and tools for managing rules for individuals accessing an organization's systems and data.

Security Architecture

Overview: A core information security function that defines and guides architectural requirements and design of security-relevant elements within an organization.

Security Awareness

Overview: Materials and products to measure and improve the knowledge and understanding individuals have about cyber threats and the best practices to safeguard against them.

Segregation of Duties (SOD)

Overview: Automated enforcement of shared responsibilities among multiple people for execution of critical processes. Reduces fraud and errors.

Standards and Frameworks

Overview: Documented guidance for policies and controls to systematically manage security and risk.

Privacy Program Management

Assessment Managers

Overview: Workflows and automation for various functions of a privacy program.

Overview: Systems and processes for notifying users about personal data collection and collecting explicit consent.

Data Mapping

Overview: Tools to help organizations map data flows across the enterprise.

Data Subject Request Automation

Overview: Processes and tools to support individual requests for personal data and use under data privacy laws.

Privacy Information Managers

Overview: Information and updates for understanding global privacy laws and regulations.

Website Scanning

Overview: Tools to check websites to identify which cookies, beacons, and trackers are in use.

Risk

Cyber Insurance

Overview: Specialty business insurance for protection against cybersecurity-related losses, including data breaches, ransomware, and other incidents.

Cyber Risk Quantification

Overview: Assessment and quantification an organization's cybersecurity risk level.

Example(s): Axio, Balbix

Enterprise Risk Management

Overview: Identification, management, and remediation of company-wide risk at an executive level.

Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM)

Overview: Identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks associated with external entities like vendors, suppliers, and partners that an organization engages with.

Example(s): Black Kite, Interos, UpGuard

Trust and Safety

Overview: Business practices, workflows, and tools used by online platforms to reduce the risk of users experiencing harm, fraud, abuse, and other negative behaviors.


Government and NGOs

Overview: Public and not-for-profit entities responsible for researching, creating, enforcing, and promoting policies, regulations, standards and initiatives to protect digital information and infrastructure from cyber threats and ensure data privacy.

Agencies

Government agencies specializing in cybersecurity policy, research, and protection.


Identity Security

Authentication

Access Management

Overview: Platforms for identifying, tracking, controlling, and managing user access to applications and infrastructure.

Biometrics

Overview: Use of physical or behavioral traits to authenticate and verify identity.

Example(s): Clear, Prove, Keyless

Customer Identity (CIAM)

Overview: Systems for controlling customer access to applications and managing customer profile information.

Example(s): Auth0, Descope, FusionAuth

Electronic Identification

Overview: Government systems for digital proof of identity for citizens and organizations.

Example(s): Aadhaar, Israeli ID

Identity Graphing and Resolution

Overview: Services that correlate online and offline identifiers with consumer identities to create an accurate view of customers.

Identity Proofing

Overview: A service used for verifying a user's identity based on life history or other data aggregated from public and proprietary data sources.

Example(s): Persona, Trulioo, Jumio, Socure, Veriff

Know Your Business (KYB)

Overview: The process of verifying the identity and assessing the legitimacy of businesses, typically for compliance and risk management purposes.

Example(s): Middesk, Sumsub

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Overview: Authentication that replaces traditional passwords or combines two or more authentication requirements (e.g. password and one-time token) for increased security.

Example(s): Authy, Duo Security, Yubico

Passwordless

Overview: Verification of identities without the use of traditional passwords, instead relying on methods like biometrics, tokens, or cryptographic keys.

Password Managers

Overview: Tools to help users generate, store, and use secure passwords.

Example(s): 1Password, LastPass, Dashlane

SaaS Identity Risk Management

Overview: Assessing, monitoring, and mitigating risks associated with user access and authentication in unmanaged SaaS applications.

Example(s): Cerby, Grip

Secrets Management

Overview: Securely handling, storing, and accessing sensitive information like tokens and encryption keys for protecting access to applications and services.

Self-Service Password Reset (SSPR)

Overview: Toos that allow users to reset their passwords independently, typically through a series of authentication steps.

Social Login

Overview: Sign in to third party sites using authentication from social networks.

Web3 Authentication

Overview: Decentralized and user-centric identification systems in the blockchain and cryptocurrency space, enabling users to own and control their digital identities without relying on central authorities.

Authorization

Background Screening

Overview: Services that compile and help verify employment, criminal, financial, and other records for people and organizations.

Example(s): Checkr, Truework, HireRight

Centralized Authorization

Overview: A security approach where access control decisions for multiple systems or applications are managed from a single, unified point of policy enforcement and management.

Example(s): Axiomatics, Oso, SGNL

Data Access Governance

Overview: Systems for gaining visibility and enforcing access control policies on unstructured data (spreadsheets, documents, PDFs, etc.).

Directory Services

Overview: A repository for collecting information about users, devices, and resources for authentication and authorization. LDAP is a common standard for directory services.

Identity Governance and Administration (IGA)

Overview: Systems for administering accounts and credentials, access provisioning, and access reviews.

Identity Threat Detection and Response (IDTR)

Overview: Identifying, investigating, and mitigating malicious activities targeting user identities and credentials.

Example(s): Authomize, Semperis, Spera

Identity Wallets

Overview: Identity stores that allow users to manage and share their digital identity credentials and data.

Physical Access Control

Overview: Solutions that manage physical identities and access to physical locations and spaces.

Privileged Access Management (PAM)

Overview: Systems for managing privileged (elevated) access for users, shared accounts, secrets, keys, and other high risk credentials.

Web3 Authorization

Overview: The decentralized process of granting or restricting access to resources and actions in blockchain and decentralized applications, based on verified digital identities and smart contracts.

Example(s): Gatekeeper


Infrastructure Security

Cloud Security

Cloud Infrastructure Entitlements Management (CIEM)

Overview: Tools to help companies manage permissions and detect excessive or risky access in cloud environments.

Example(s): K9 Security, Sonrai

Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP)

Overview: Integrated security solutions designed to protect cloud-native applications by combining capabilities like workload protection, cloud security posture management, and application security.

Example(s): Sysdig, Uptycs, PingSafe

Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM)

Overview: Continuous management, monitoring, policy enforcement, and compliance for cloud environment configurations.

Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP)

Overview: Processes and tools for securing containers and workloads within different cloud environments.

Container Security

Overview: Measures and practices to protect containerized applications and their underlying infrastructure from threats and vulnerabilities throughout the container lifecycle.

SaaS Security

Overview: Strategies and measures implemented to protect data, applications, and services hosted on Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms.

Email Security

Anti-Spam and Anti-Phishing

Overview: Security measures designed to detect, block, and prevent unwanted or deceptive emails, such as spam and phishing attempts, from reaching users.

Email Archiving

Overview: Storing, preserving, and organizing email communications for long-term retention, easy retrieval, and compliance purposes.

Email Encryption

Overview: Encrypting email messages in transit and/or at rest to protect their content from being read by anyone other than the intended recipients.

Phishing Simulation

Overview: A training tool that sends simulated phishing emails to users, testing their ability to recognize and respond to phishing attacks.

Secure Email Gateways (SEGs)

Overview: Security solutions that monitor and filter incoming and outgoing emails to protect against spam, viruses, phishing attacks, and other email-based threats.

Endpoint Security

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

Overview: Tools installed on endpoints to record key activity for monitoring and threat investigations.

Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM)

Overview: Approach and tools for protecting against execution of malware and unapproved applications on endpoints.

Endpoint Protection Platforms (EPP)

Overview: Software to protect endpoints from threats, including malware, ransomware, phishing, and data theft.

File Integrity Monitoring

Overview: Solutions to monitor changes in operating system, database, and application files.

Host Encryption

Overview: The process of encrypting the data stored on a host, such as a server or a computer, to protect it against unauthorized access and ensure its confidentiality.

Host Intrusion Prevention System (HIPS)

Overview: Endpoint-based intrusion detection and prevention system to monitor and analyze internals and network traffic on the endpoint for prevention and detection of threats.

Mobile Device Management (MDM)

Overview: Technology used to secure, monitor, manage, and support mobile devices deployed across mobile operators, service providers, and enterprises.

Example(s): Absolute, Kandji, NinjaOne

Mobile Security

Overview: Tools protect sensitive information stored on mobile devices, including smartphones, tablets, and wearables.

Network Security

DDoS Mitigation

Overview: Services to throttle and prevent distributed denial of service attack disruptions.

DNS Security

Overview: Protecting the Domain Name System (DNS) from threats and ensuring the integrity and availability of DNS queries and responses.

Example(s): Cloudflare DNS, HYAS, OpenDNS

Firewalls

Overview: Network security devices to regulate network traffic based on rules.

Microsegmentation

Overview: Techniques and tools to logically divide networks into security segments with specific controls based on the risk and requirements of each segment.

Network Access Control (NAC)

Overview: Systems that provide visibility and control of devices accessing a network.

Network Detection and Response (NDR)

Overview: Solutions that continuously monitor network traffic for malicious activities and anomalies, facilitating rapid detection and response to threats.

SSL Visibility

Overview: Tools that provide visibility into encrypted network traffic for monitoring and threat analysis.

Wireless Security

Overview: Prevention of damage and unauthorized access via wireless networks.

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)

Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB)

Overview: Platforms to help secure and manage use of cloud-based SaaS applications and infrastructure.

Data Loss/Leakage Prevention (DLP)

Overview: Systems to detect and prevent transmission of sensitive data.

Device Trust

Overview: A security approach that evaluates and verifies the trustworthiness of a device based on its attributes and configuration before granting it access.

Example(s): Kolide

Remote Browser Isolation (RBI)

Overview: Technology that executes web browsing sessions in a remote, isolated environment, protecting the user's device from direct exposure to potential internet threats.

Secure Web Browsers

Overview: Security-focused web browsers and isolation for enterprises.

Example(s): Island, Talon, SURF

Secure Web Gateway (SWG)

Overview: Systems to filter user-initiated internet traffic and enforce corporate and regulatory content policies.

Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN)

Overview: A networking approach that uses software to control, optimize, and secure traffic routing across wide area networks.

Virtual Private Networks (VPN)

Overview: Systems that enable users to securely and privately browse public internet sites and access private networks across a public network.

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)

Overview: Products that broker access to applications and network resources based on identity and context.


Media

Overview: Organizations providing broad industry coverage, including analysis, events, news, and more.


Physical Security

Overview: Measures and controls to protect people, assets, and facilities from physical actions and events that could cause serious loss or damage.

Example(s): Dragos, Claroty, Armis


Security Operations

Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR)

Cloud Investigationand Response Automation (CIRA)

Overview: Automated data collection and analysis across multi-cloud environments for cloud incident investigations.

Example(s): Mitiga, Cado, Gem

Deception

Overview: Tools and techniques to deceive and catch attackers by imitating real assets as traps and decoys.

Forensics

Overview: Tracking and analysis of data on networks, mobile devices, computers, and storage devices for cybercrime investigations.

Intelligence

Open Source Intelligence (OSINT)

Overview: Collection of publicly available data and information sources to provide actionable intelligence.

Example(s): Shodan, Maltego

Threat Intelligence

Overview: Collection of intelligence used to understand current or future threats to an organization.

Intrusion Detection and Prevention

Canaries

Overview: Decoy data or systems strategically placed within a network to detect and alert on unauthorized access or malicious activity, functioning as an early warning system.

Example(s): Thinkst Canary

Honeypots

Overview: Decoy servers, systems, or data to attract and analyze attacks, helping to understand threat tactics and enhance network defenses.

Example(s): KFSensor, Honeyd, Glastopf

Intrusion Detection System (IDS)/Intrusion Prevention System (IPS)

Overview: Systems to monitor and prevent network traffic using recognized security threat profiles.

Monitoring and Operations

Analytics

Overview: Data analytics platforms to proactively monitor and analyze security data.

Example(s): Awake, Exabeam, Darktrace

Cybersecurity ETL

Overview: Processes and tools to extract, normalize, and enrich security data from multiple tools.

Example(s): Monad, Tarsal, Synqly, Avalor

Employee Monitoring

Overview: Monitoring tools for logging and measuring employee activity and productivity.

Example(s): Controlio, TeraMind

Extended Detection and Response (XDR)

Overview: Systems to aggregate and analyze data to improve threat detection and incident response.

Network Performance Monitoring

Overview: Platforms to visualize, monitor, optimize, troubleshoot, and report on the health and availability of networks.

Observability

Overview: Software for application and infrastructure monitoring, tracing, diagnostics, performance, and security.

Security Data Lakes

Overview: A centralized repository that stores large volumes of raw security data from various sources within commercial cloud data platforms, enabling advanced analytics and threat detection.

Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR)

Overview: Automation to increase the speed, reliability, and accuracy of security operations workflows.

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

Overview: Tools to consolidate and correlate log data for identification of security incidents.

User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA)

Overview: Processes and tools to detect threats based on patterns in user behavior.

Service Management

Asset Management

Overview: Processes and tools for identifying and managing IT assets and their potential security risks.

Example(s): Axonius, Armis

Configuration Management Database (CMDB)

Overview: A database for storing information about hardware and software assets. CMDBs are primarily used for IT Service Management; however, much of the data is applicable to security operations.

Patch and System Management

Overview: Processes and tools for keeping applications and infrastructure up to date with patches to address bugs and vulnerabilities.

Vulnerability Assessment and Management

Attack Surface Management (ASM)

Overview: The continuous process of identifying, cataloging, monitoring, and minimizing exposed and potentially exploitable points in an organization's environment.

Example(s): JupiterOne, Balbix, Upguard, NMAP

Cyber Range

Overview: Platforms for hands-on cybersecurity attack training and practice.

External Attack Surface Management (EASM)

Overview: Identifying, analyzing, and securing an organization's publicly exposed systems, services, and data to mitigate risks from external threats.

Example(s): CyCognito, Detectify, Sevco

Penetration Testing

Overview: Intentional attacks on applications, networks, and infrastructure to identify exploitable vulnerabilities.

Social Engineering

Overview: Techniques to manipulate people into exposing confidential information, allowing unauthorized access, and other human-exploitable vulnerabilities.

Example(s): Cofense

Vulnerability Management and Testing

Overview: Processes and tools for discovering, classifying, prioritizing, and remediating software and infrastructure vulnerabilities.

Example(s): ThreadFix, Vulcan, Nucleus


Services

Managed Services

Incident Response (IR)

Overview: specialized assistance from external experts to effectively manage and mitigate the impact of cybersecurity incidents to recover and minimize damage.

Managed Detection and Response (MDR)

Overview: Outsourced management and monitoring for advanced cybersecurity functions and systems, including threat intelligence, threat hunting, and incident response.

Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP)

Overview: Outsourced management and monitoring for basic cybersecurity functions and systems.

Example(s): Optiv, IBM, Verizon

Outsourcing

Overview: External management of specific cybersecurity functions (typically operational tasks).

Example(s): Wipro, TCS, Infosys

Professional Services

Boutique

Overview: Specialized cybersecurity, privacy, or risk consulting practices within small professional services firms.

Large

Overview: Cybersecurity, privacy, and risk consulting practices within large professional services firms.

Example(s): PwC, Deloitte, Optiv

Talent Marketplaces

Crowdsourcing

Overview: Public platforms for specific cybersecurity services, such as bug bounties.

Example(s): HackerOne, BugCrowd, Synack

Freelance Consulting

Overview: Platforms for short-term cybersecurity gigs or contracts for 1099 workers through an employer.